News coverage

By Susan McKay Irish News Columnist 26/08/08 There’s something about Mary Robinson. As one of the world’s leading human rights activists, she is a formidable woman and an outstandingly brave one. She moves among world leaders and is a personal friend of Nelson Mandela’s. But she has not lost her belief in the importance of … Read more

Robinson criticises plan to merge human rights bodies Mary Robinson: human rights bodies “need to be invigorated” SUSAN McKAY IRISH TIMES 25 AUGUST 2008 CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT COMMEMORATION: FORMER PRESIDENT Mary Robinson has sharply criticised a Government proposal to merge a number of human rights agencies. Speaking yesterday, she said bodies like the Equality Authority … Read more

Click on a photo to see a larger version Remembering 1968 – 40th anniversary of civil rights movement By Ashleigh McDonald Irish News 25 August 2008 FORMER president Mary Robinson has paid tribute to those who took part in a Civil Rights march 40 years ago, saying their actions “took us out of the shadows … Read more

By Ashleigh McDonald – Originally Published: Irish News 25 August 2008 A MEMORIAL stone to commemorate the first ever civil rights march in Northern Ireland was unveiled this weekend in the centre of Coalisland. Around 300 people attended the unveiling, which took place in the Co Tyrone town on Saturday afternoon. Yesterday marked the 40th … Read more

PLATFORM – Austin Currie Irish News 21/06/08 AT our meeting in the House of Commons in January 1968 Paul Rose MP, chairman of the Campaign for Democracy in Ulster, confirmed what I had believed for some time when he said to me, “No British government – including this Labour government – will intervene to remedy … Read more

Irish News Editorial – 23/06/08 The debate over housing in Northern Ireland has changed beyond recog-nition since the injustices which forced Austin Currie and others into a dramatic intervention 40 years ago this week. Back in 1968 many unionist-controlled district councils were able to routinely discriminate against Catholics during the allocation of public authority homes. … Read more

Opinion by Austin Currie Irish News 14/03/06 A tribute to Gerry Fitt, delivered by Austin Currie at a Memorial Service last Friday at Belfast City Hall Gerry Fitts contribution to public life must, of course, be assessed in the context of the political conditions of his time. When Gerry was first elected to Belfast Corporation … Read more

BY Barry McCaffrey – Irish News 11/06/08 Forty years ago a family’s decision to make a stand over housing set in motion a chain of events that would give rise to the civil rights movement and thrust Northern Ireland into the international spotlight. Barry McCaffrey reports from Caledon As Mary Teresa Goodfellow walked through the … Read more

By John Manley Irish News 23/06/08 THE SDLP was always the “party of housing”, social development minister Margaret Ritchie told a conference to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Caledon protest. Entitled ‘Housing Rights for All’, the event at Armagh City Hotel on Saturday was addressed by the key participant in the protest, Austin Currie. … Read more